Day 14

Day 14:  Chop Gate to Rosedale.  About 13km.  225m up. 85m down.  Moors, moors and more moors.  

We had our earliest start and earliest finish today.  Since we were reliant on the B&B owner to return us by car to the trail this morning, we were subject to his schedule.  We left the B&B before 8:30 and were on the trail about 15 minutes later.  The day again started a bit damp - just a bit of drizzle; not really enough to qualify as "rain".  Oh well - pack covers and raincoats on for a short while.  All of our elevation was gained right away, once again on lovely large flat stones on the Cleveland Way.  The mist lifted as we climbed, which means the views improved as we went.  For a while, in the distance, we could see an obelisk on a Easby Moor commemorating locally born Captain James Cook.  About 10 to 15 years ago I kept running into his statues wherever I went - Alaska, New Zealand, Victoria, Hawaii, etc. and became quite fascinated with his travels.  And now - his birthplace.  

We spent the day on the moors.  Interesting, but not stunning.  Lots of heather and ferns, with quite a few grazing sheep.  We kept high on the moors all day and often had views down into beautiful agricultural valleys or dales. Still some wild valleys as well.

At Bloworth Crossing we left the Cleveland Way and started walking on a long ago abandoned rail line that has been turned into a walking trail.  Very gentle grade - little bit up, little bit down.  Not quite as hard as tarmac, but I really do prefer more varied terrain features.  We met lots of fellow walkers on the route today, many of whom we had met on previous days.  It's nice to see familiar faces.  We say lots of grouse as well as some grouse butts which are used for grouse hunting.  Since it was windy on top again today, we sought out a bit of a sheltered area for our lunch stop.  That done, we then spotted the Lion Inn in the distance within about a half hour.  The Lion Inn was our destination.  We are stayng in Rosedale, about 6 milles away but off the C2C so our B&B host would be coming to the Lion Inn to retrieve us.  Just as we arrived at the pub, the sun came out for good.  We settled in with our refreshments at a picnic table. Pretty soon, our thirsts quenched, we were all snoozing either on the grass or the picnic table.  Then it was time to think about eating yet again.  Of course, we had to chat with all the walkers and locals, so it was about 4 by the time we ordered.  Great pub food again.  We were picked up by the B&B owner at 5:30, driven to Rosedale and promptly served tea and biscuits in the garden.  The owners are a very funny retired couple and very gracious hosts.  I'm sure going to miss this lifestyle when this trip is over!